Comments XII

Just a few remarks...

Open and closed systems. Too many problems are regarded as arising in and confined to closed systems.  In fact, many problems are not closed-contained but open, meaning it is a problem that continually interacts with its surroundings or environment.  Solving such problems without an encompassing view can lead to a cascade of system failures.  Closed systems are basically the "in-the-box" systems, where what we do is confined to the often small box in which they are addressed.

The team.   You don't make the team better by merely giving it new uniforms.

Science is what it is.  We may measure the “scientific-ness” of a subject according as the clarity of its postulates and the application of logic to decide truths.   Logic is a catch-all term that implies the application of analysis and reproducible experiments.  Can you name a single scientific endeavor to the contrary?

On Sports: How many times do you want to see the same thing?  The intoxication of the many with sports borders on addiction.  In fact, regular fans have seen almost the same plays and same strategies countless times.  Only slight variations obtain, and even these are similar to past plays.  There must be something about this immersion in the familiar that touches as essential to many more than a few.  It touches with past youth, hopes, and dreams; it touches with past glory.  It is what could have been, if only…

The Common Core is Irrelevant.  In almost every College Algebra course in the USA the curriculum is about the same.  The textbooks are similar.  The quality of instructors is similar.  The difference between classes and schools is the rigor with which the course is taught.   We could go on at length of variations and exceptions on this.   But why bother?  Some instructors, research shows, demand more and get more, while others do not.  The sterile attempt to universalize curriculum and create correspondent standardized testing tries to neutralize this, but the net result is a devolution toward teaching to the test.  This will never abate, much less end. 

Good teacher – bad teacher.  A bad teacher will do more harm than good.  Indeed, it has been demonstrated that if a student has three consecutive years with bad teachers, the damage is irreparable.  Bad teachers come in several flavors, easy, incompetent and unable.    Yet, some apparently bad teachers are not actually bad. They only appear to be bad; they demand performance apparently without helping.  They seem mean without being mean.  It is their style of exacting from students their best.  I had one of these teachers many years ago.  Lectures were kinda good; inter-personality skills were really bad; yet respect was engendered.   I studied like crazy.   I thrived in this antagonistic environment.  I remember this professor foremost.

The Word's Oldest Hate.  What might that be?  The Jews come front and center.  Jews have taken their lumps in history across time.  There are other nominees.  These include scientific discovery facing a barrage of the status quo. Also, disquieting are the hates of suffrage, slavery, prostitution, nonconformity, conformity, Christianity, tribal dominance, racism,and more. The oldest arise from at least four of the ancient seven deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony.

Vice President Biden.  You have to credit Joe Biden for loyalty, even though possibly errant.  He appears to be seeking support for a presidential bid, though he really has little chance of winning an election.  His gaffs are legend; his role in the current administration is minor.  Yet he continues on.  Could it be he is the surrogate or alternative candidate for Hillary Clinton, who seems to be running, but will not announce.   Clinton (i.e. Rodham)  is continually under pressure for what her plans may be.  A Biden candidacy deflects some of this.  Biden is a decent man, but not exactly of the presidential timber the country need - in my view. Clinton may be viable, but anyone would have difficult thriving under the now growing spotlight of who comes next.

Enough is Enough.  Perhaps you heard, "Students in one Iowa school district this year are attending school Monday through Thursday, with Fridays available for teachers' professional development as well as enrichment, remedial or college-level instruction for students. This summer, state lawmakers redefined the school year as 1,080 hours, or 180 days, but allowed districts to determine how to meet the requirements. Other districts nationwide are adopting alternate schedules to save money on busing, staffing and utilities." http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/09/18/04fourdays.h33.html?tkn=WTCCrVPVdai8ogZeuIaYFR5NoQ%2Bt8kMnDWgf&cmp=clp-sb-ascd

Well this is interesting and at first blush enlightening. It forces teacher to compress by 20% their curriculum , while giving them for time for professional development. This is admirable on the one side, but on the other, it indicates the teacher need more professional development.  However, the courses they teach at the standards level far diminishes what they have learned in all their previous years in middle school, high school,  and even college.  One could compare the introduction of a day each week in the lives of all citizens for training in balancing a check book, or on safe driving, or managing household finances.  All these seem to be equipment we have;  so, why do we need further training?

Now students emerging from the four day teaching/learning week will have one common expectation.  A four day work week.  Don't worry, the intellectuals will fully dress the justification in wrappers of gold and silver from self-improvement time, to better parenting time, to reflection time.  None of them will mention more time for TV or video games.  Forget the 2/7 of every week folks have had for that in generations past.  All problems will be resolved when we have 3/7 of the week.